As sin is the greatest evil — so sorrow for sin is the greatest
sorrow.

Godly sorrow in a saint is the greatest sorrow, being that which flows from
faith, whereby we see sin to be the greatest evil — as exemplified in
the crucified Savior!

True repentance is a continual work. So long as we have sin to repent
of — so long we must be repenting of sin.

The believer's sorrow for sin becomes more evangelical than formerly;
for whereas, before there was much of self-love, and fear of wrath and Hell
in his mourning; now, having a clear view of the love of God in pardoning
him, and of the distinguishing grace and favor of God extended to him — he
comes to mourn, loathe, and abase himself more deeply than before, and to
melt with filial sorrow before the Lord — that he should act so unworthily
and unthankfully towards such a gracious, tender, and loving Father. "Then,
when I make atonement for you for all you have done — you will remember and
be ashamed." Ezekiel 16:63

The believer's hatred of sin becomes more refined.
He hates sin on account of its defiling nature — as well as its
damning nature!
He hates sin for the evil that is IN it — as well as for the evil that comes
BY it!
He hates sin not only because it is ruinous — but because it is
wicked!

Faith is a heart-purifying grace. Faith is a virgin grace, of a pure
and heavenly nature. Faith is in the soul, as medicine in the body, which
works out the disease. Faith works out pride, self-love, and hypocrisy.

Faith consecrates the heart. That which was before the devil's
thoroughfare — is now made into God's enclosure.

Faith is a heavenly plant, which will not grow in an impure soil.

Faith does not only justify — but sanctify. He who before was
under the power of some debasing corruption — as soon as faith is wrought,
there is a sacred virtue coming from Christ, for the enervating and
weakening of that sin. The woman who did but touch the hem of Christ's
garment, felt virtue coming out of Him. The touch of faith has a
healing power! Faith casts the devil out of the castle of the heart.
This is "the faith of God's elect."

You who say you believe — has your faith removed the mountain of sin, and
cast it into the sea? What! a believer — and yet a worldling!
Shame! Either leave your sins — or leave your profession! Faith and
the love of sin can no more exist together, than light and darkness!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You have a whore's
forehead!
(Thomas Brooks,
"A Cabinet of Choice Jewels" 1669)

"You have a whore's forehead — you
refuse to be
ashamed!" Jeremiah 3:3

Most sinners in these days have brows of brass, and whores' foreheads — which cannot blush. They are
so far from being ashamed of their sins, that they
think it a shame and disgrace not to sin, not to swear,
and whore, and curse, and be drunk! Yes, there are
many who are so far from being ashamed of their
abominations — that they even glory in them. They
flaunt their sins as Sodom, and make a sport of
sinning!

"Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No,
they have no shame at all; they do not even know
how to blush!" Jeremiah 6:15

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, the sharpest thorns are unseen by
mortal eyes!

(The following in an excerpt from the diary
of James Smith)
"Oh, what wretched man I am! Who will free me from this life that is
dominated by sin and death!" Romans 7:24

My journey lies along a thorny road — and yet few see the
thorns but myself! Ah, the sharpest thorns are
unseen by mortal eyes!

God knows, that I do wish, and long, and pray, and strive — to be what His
Word requires me to be. But I am continually baffled, frustrated in my
designs, and beaten back! And if at any time, I seem to feel that I am
progressing, and yield myself unto God — I am sure to be overtaken with some
trial, and am made to feel my own weakness and vileness more than ever!

The carnal desires of the flesh work — and often very powerfully. Old sinful
propensities, which appeared to be subdued, if not destroyed — revive and
appear as lively as ever!

I revive — and then sink down into the same carnal state again! I turn
forwards — and then backwards, without progress or improvement.

What a mercy that grace is free, and that salvation is wholly of grace!
Upon this principle, I will arrive at Heaven, but on no other. May I be
privileged to stand among God's little ones before His throne, and eternally
lift up my voice in honor of His precious name!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

You have a whore's
forehead!
(Thomas Brooks,
"A Cabinet of Choice Jewels" 1669)

"You have a whore's forehead — you
refuse to be
ashamed!" Jeremiah 3:3

Most sinners in these days have brows of brass, and whores' foreheads — which cannot blush. They are
so far from being ashamed of their sins, that they
think it a shame and disgrace not to sin, not to swear,
and whore, and curse, and be drunk! Yes, there are
many who are so far from being ashamed of their
abominations — that they even glory in them. They
flaunt their sins as Sodom, and make a sport of
sinning!

"Are they ashamed of their loathsome conduct? No,
they have no shame at all; they do not even know
how to blush!" Jeremiah 6:15

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Ah, the sharpest thorns are unseen by
mortal eyes!

(The following in an excerpt from the diary
of James Smith)
"Oh, what wretched man I am! Who will free me from this life that is
dominated by sin and death!" Romans 7:24

My journey lies along a thorny road — and yet few see the
thorns but myself! Ah, the sharpest thorns are
unseen by mortal eyes!

God knows, that I do wish, and long, and pray, and strive — to be what His
Word requires me to be. But I am continually baffled, frustrated in my
designs, and beaten back! And if at any time, I seem to feel that I am
progressing, and yield myself unto God — I am sure to be overtaken with some
trial, and am made to feel my own weakness and vileness more than ever!

The carnal desires of the flesh work — and often very powerfully. Old sinful
propensities, which appeared to be subdued, if not destroyed — revive and
appear as lively as ever!

I revive — and then sink down into the same carnal state again! I turn
forwards — and then backwards, without progress or improvement.

What a mercy that grace is free, and that salvation is wholly of grace!
Upon this principle, I will arrive at Heaven, but on no other. May I be
privileged to stand among God's little ones before His throne, and eternally
lift up my voice in honor of His precious name!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

God's servants do not promote themselves

(Don Fortner)

"For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and
ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." 2 Corinthians 4:5

No work is so great, no labor is so noble,
no burden is so heavy, no honor is so humbling — as preaching
the gospel of the grace of God to eternity bound sinners!

Let every man called of God to preach the Gospel, disentangle himself from
the affairs of this world with determined consecration to Christ and His
Gospel and His Church, addicting himself to prayer, study and preaching.
God's servants do not promote themselves, their ministry, or
their church. They promote Christ, His Gospel, and His Kingdom. The man who
promotes himself — serves no one but himself!

"Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared
for the devil and his angels!" Matthew 25:41

Alas! what heart can now possibly conceive, or what tongue express — the
pains of those souls who are under the wrath of God!

Is it an intolerable thing to burn part of your body by holding it in the
fire? What, then, will it be to suffer ten thousand times more, forever in
Hell!

As the joys of Heaven are beyond our conception — so are the pains of Hell.
Everlasting torment — is inconceivable torment.

It would be a kind of Heaven to the damned
— had they but hope of eventually escaping.

O happy souls in Hell — should they but escape after millions of ages!

But this word 'eternal', contains the perfection of their torment!

O that the sinner would study this word; methinks it would startle him out
of his dead sleep!

FOREVER is an intolerable thought!

"And these shall go away into eternal punishment!" Matthew 25:46

~ ~ ~ ~ ~The sins of God's people!

(Thomas
Vincent, "God's Terrible Voice in the City" 1667.
Thomas Vincent, himself a witness of the 'Great Fire of London'
in 1666, writes to explain why this severe divine judgment fell upon
the godly, as well as on the wicked.)

"The Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone
He accepts as a son." Hebrews 12:6

If these judgments have fallen upon God's people — we must know that they
have their sins, which have deserved them. Possibly some have begun to
comply with the wicked in their wicked ways. It may be, that they had . . .
grown more loose in their walking,
and formal in the service of God,
and their hearts more set on the world.

The sins of God's people have more
heinous aggravations than the sins of the wicked, being committed against .
. .
clearer light,
dearer love,
sweeter mercies, and
stronger obligations;
and therefore provoke God the more to wrath. Hence He threatens His own
people, especially, to punish them when they transgress, "You only have I
known of all the families of the earth — and therefore I will punish
you for your iniquities." Amos 3:2

Besides, God's people have need of awakening judgments . . .
to arouse them,
to humble them for sin, and
to loosen and wean them from the world!
It is in love and faithfulness, that God inflicts such judgments upon them.

"Before I was afflicted I went astray — but now I obey Your Word."
Psalm 119:67

"It was good for me to be afflicted — so that I might learn Your
decrees." Psalm 119:71

"I know, O Lord, that Your laws are righteous, and in faithfulness You
have afflicted me." Psalm 119:75

"When the Spirit of truth comes — He will guide you into all truth." John
16:13

Does anyone of us desire to help the Church of Christ? Then let him pray for
a great outpouring of the Spirit. Only the Holy Spirit can . . .
give edge to sermons,
and point to advice,
and power to rebukes,
and can cast down the high walls of sinful hearts!

It is not better preaching, and finer
writing that is needed in this day — but more of the presence of the
Holy Spirit!

Sufficient to each day are the duties
to be
done — and the trials to be endured. God never
built a Christian strong enough to carry today's duties and tomorrow's anxieties piled on the
top of them!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow,
for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each
day has enough trouble of its own."
Matthew 6:34

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The making of a beautiful and happy home!

(J.R. Miller)
A true home is one of the most sacred of places. It is a
sanctuary into which men flee from the world's perils and alarms. It is
a resting-place to which, at close of day — the weary retire
to gather new strength for the battle and toils of tomorrow. It is the place
. . .
where love learns its lessons,
where life is schooled into discipline and strength,
where character is molded.

Few things we can do in this world are so well worth doing — as
the making of a beautiful and happy home!
He who does this — builds a sanctuary for God, and opens a fountain
of blessing for men.

Far more than we know — do the strength and beauty of our lives,
depend upon the home in which we dwell. He who goes forth in the
morning from a happy, loving, prayerful home — into the world's strife,
temptation, struggle, and duty — is strongly inspired for noble and
victorious living.

The children who are brought up in a true home — go out trained
and equipped for life's battles and tasks — carrying a secret
of strength in their hearts, which will make them brave and loyal to
God, and will keep them pure in the world's severest temptations!

Far too long — we enjoyed your carnal gratifications, and feasted on your
vain delights. We confess it — and grieve for it. Now we have found Jesus!
We have another and a better life. We have divine pleasures,
spiritual joys from Christ, and sweet communion with Him! We anxiously wait
for future glory. We enjoy a heaven of comfort, in
this world of sorrow!

He who walks most by faith, will be the happiest, and most comfortable
Christian. He who lives nearest to Christ in faith — will follow Him closest
in love. Consequently, he will keep at the greatest distance from the
world's vain pleasures, and the carnal delights of the flesh.

"The Lord has done great things for us, and we
are filled with joy.Those who sow in tears, will
reap with songs of joy." Psalm 126:3, 5

We can praise God for trials!

We can thank God for sorrows!

These have been to us, though a painful — yet
a much needed and a most blessed school.

The 'wilderness' has been a heavenly place on earth . . .
the lessons which we have been taught,
the truths which we have learned,
the preciousness of Jesus which we have experienced,
the love of God which we have felt,
the sweetness in prayer which we have tasted,
and the fitness for labor which we have derived,
all, all testify, as with one voice — to the unutterably
precious blessings that flow through the channel of sacred and sanctified sorrow.

Dear reader, as painful and sad as may be the path
you now are treading — fear not; the outcome will
be most glorious. The seed you are sowing in tears,
shall yield you a golden harvest of joy!

Adversity is the school of
Heaven!

And in Heaven . . . .
where no sorrow chafes,
where no tears flow,
where no blight withers,
where no disappointment sickens, and
where no sad change chills, wounds, and slays,
the sweetest praises will be awakened by the
recollection of the sanctified sorrows of earth!

Each believer has the presence of . . .
a God of mercy,
a God of tenderness,
a God of compassion.

Mercy is as essential to God — as light is to the sun,
or as heat is to the fire. He delights in mercy. Patience,
and mildness, and mercy, and compassion, and peace
— are the fruits of His heart. God's compassions are . . .fatherly compassions, Psalm 103:13; motherly compassions, Isaiah 49:15; brotherly compassions, Hebrews 2:12; friendly compassions, Canticles 5:1-2.

Oh, how sweet must the presence of a God of mercy, a
God of compassion — be to the saints in a day of trouble!
The presence of a compassionate friend in a day of distress
is very desirable and comfortable; what then is the
presence of a compassionate God!

Humility is lowliness of mind — the opposite of pride and
arrogance. It belongs to the essence of experimental
religion. A humble spirit is the opposite of a lofty one.
True humility is an inward grace based on a view of our
own guilt, weakness, vileness, and ignorance — as
compared with the infinite excellence and glory of God.

Humility is one of the most lovely of all the traits of a
child of God. It is opposed to all ostentation. It hides
the other graces of the Christian from the gaze of
self-admiration. Its aim is not to be thought humble,
but to be humble. The godly man loves to lie low — and
cares not to have it known.

Humility will not disfigure, but adorn you. As Rebecca
was not the less lovely, but the more so, when she took
a veil and covered her beauty and all her jewels; so the
child of God is especially beautified
when arrayed in
humbleness of mind.

"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated
on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him were
seraphim, each one had six wings: With two wings they covered their
faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they
were flying." Isaiah 6:1-2

There is something unusual and very impressive in the description of the
seraphim in this vision. "Each one had six
wings!" Wings are for flight — it is the mission of
angelic beings to fly on God's errands. The six wings would seem to signify
special readiness to do God's will. But they suggest here, more than their
normal use — to fly.

The modern Christian would probably use them all for flying —
and would be intensely active. We live in an age when everything
inspires to activity. We are apt to run, perhaps too greatly, with our
'wings'.

But we should notice that two of the seraphim's wings were used in covering
his face when before God — teaching reverence. Two of them also were
used in covering his feet — humility. The other two were used in
flying — activity. Reverence and humility — are quite as important
qualities in God's service, as activity!

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

My portion!

(James Smith,
"The Believer's Companion in Seasons of Affliction and Trouble" 1842)

"You are my portion, O Lord!" Psalm
119:57

This is the language of every Christian's heart and life! The generality of
the Lord's family are poor in this world — they have no portion of an
earthly kind. He who has God for His portion — must not expect
much besides. The Lord is enough to make them happy in the absence of all
things besides; but nothing can make the spiritual mind happy in His
absence.

He is the sun which enlightens, enlivens, and quickens them!
He is the shield which guards, protects, and preserves them!
He is the bread which sustains, strengthens, and revives them!
He is all they want — and without Him they have nothing.

They are often surprised when Providence strips them, and they are left as
Job was — naked, friendless, poor, and destitute. But this is just the Lord
bringing them to the test. They had said, "You are my portion, O Lord!"
Whereas it is now evident that they reckoned those things of which God
has stripped them — as a part of their portion. They considered them
as necessary; whereas, however much they may add to our outward comfort,
they are not absolutely essential to our well-being.

The Lord is an all-sufficient portion; he who possesses the Lord, may
say as Jacob to Esau, "Take the present, my brother — seeing I have all
things."

The Lord is an all-comprehensive portion; all things are in Him, from
Him, by Him, and for Him.
While He is rich — how can we be poor?
While He is able — how can we be left to want?
While He is love — how can we be miserable?

Is God your portion? If so, your light afflictions are but for a
moment; and they will work out for you a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory.

All your trials — are mercies!

Every cross — is a real blessing!

God is dealing with you as with a child which He loves tenderly. He is now,
in this affliction, doing you good with His whole heart, and with His whole
soul. Oh, believe that God, your God, is love! He . . .
declares it in His word,
proves it in all His dealings, and
will fully reveal it to your soul's eternal satisfaction in Heaven!

Take up your home then in your God; make Him . . .
the subject of your meditation,
the center of your joy,
the object of your love,
your soul-satisfying portion!
So shall you sing at the last, "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is
the strength of my heart and my portion forever!" Psalm 73:26

"Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated
at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above,
not on earthly things." Colossians 3:1-2

Live much in Heaven — and earth will
grow less attractive.

Jesus, You are my chief joy, my life, my all. Without You
this world would be wretchedness itself. Keep, oh keep me
near Yourself, nearer, nearer still; and allow no earthly
idol to occupy Your place in my heart.

"If anyone would come after Me — he must deny himself and take up his cross
daily and follow Me!" Luke 9:23

O that Christians, the very best of them, were not so slack in
following Christ!

Some stop to trifle with the perishable things of earth.

Some stop to pick up the gaudy, scentless flowers by the wayside.

Some stop to sleep, forgetting that this is not our rest — it is cursed
ground.

Some stop to pick holes and find fault with their fellow-travelers.

Few of Christ's sheep hold on their way as steadily as they might. But
still, compared with the world — they are following Jesus Christ. Oh that
they would only remember, that those who follow Him most fully —
shall follow Him most comfortably!

They are following Christ, and they know where they are going. And even in
the dark river, in the valley of the shadow of death — they feel a
confidence that their Shepherd will be with them, and that His rod and His
staff will comfort them. They would all tell you that they are poor
wandering sheep, ashamed of the little fruit they bear. But
still, as weak as they are, they are determined to follow on to the end, and
to say, "None but Christ — in life and in death, in time and in
eternity!"

"Leaving you an example — so that you should follow in His steps!" 1 Peter
2:21

"My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines
you, and don't be discouraged when He corrects you. For the Lord
corrects those He loves, just as a father corrects a child in
whom he delights." Proverbs 3:11-12

To the children of God, afflictions are sent in mercy.

They are directed by love.

They are designed . . .
to unite us more closely to the Savior,
to mortify indwelling sin,
to purify our hearts,
to wean us from earth,
to elevate our affections to that blessed world where there shall be no
more pain.

Every breeze of earthly sorrow
is only waftingus to those high and heavenly
abodes, where temporal ills are forever unknown.

"The Lord is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in
times of trouble." Psalm 9:9

Oh, then, when ready to sink under the accumulated ills
of life, let us come to the Savior in the time of trouble.

Our help is from Him.

He is our defense.

He will not allow our foot to be moved.

He will keep our souls in safety.

His eye will ever watch over us.

He will preserve us from all evil.

"For You are my hiding place;
You protect me from trouble.
You surround me with songs of victory."
Psalm 32:7

Weary mariner on life's
tempestuous ocean, when afflictions cloud your sky, and billows
roar around you — cling to the Savior in grateful, confiding love.

Amid all your difficulties and dangers, He will
whisper consolation to you, and support your fainting soul
with the richest consolation and the choicest promises. You will then be
enabled to bear the trials of life with composure, knowing that, like
the Captain of our salvation, you must also be made perfect through
suffering; and that these light and momentary afflictions are working for
you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory!

You will then experience the sweetness of the divine
promises, and in the midst of outward trouble, enjoy inward peace.

"Though I walk in the midst of trouble, You preserve my
life!" Psalm 138:7

September, 1850.
I have been the subject of very powerful temptations, and have reason to
mourn, that though kept from outward sin — I have felt my heart
going out after secret evil. I as much need keeping now — as at
any former period of my life! The flesh is so powerful, that if God
were to withdraw His hand — I would soon fall into
gross sins!

How difficult it is to reconcile what I feel, with a 'growth in grace,' or
with anything like a deep work of inward sanctification. Sin seems to lose
all its deformity at such times, and appears to be a mere trifling
act. O the self-deluding power of sin!

If any of God's people ought to be humble — I ought to; and to lie
lower before God than any of them. Still, pride works mightily in me.
I strive to do good, my heart is set upon it — and yet at present, I seem to
make very little progress.

On parents it depends in a great measure, what their children are to be . .
.
happy — or miserable in themselves,
a comfort — or a curse to their relationships,
an ornament — or a deformity to society,
a seraph — or a fiend in eternity!

It is indeed a fearsome thing to be a parent, and is enough to awaken the
anxious, trembling inquiry in every parent's heart: "Lord, who is
sufficient for these things?"

A graceless parent is a most dreadful character! Oh! to see the
father and mother of an expanding family, with a crowd of young immortals
growing up around them — and teaching worldliness to their offspring,
and leading them to perdition by the power of their own example!

A sheep leading her lambs into a den of hungry tigers, would be a shocking
sight! But to see parents conducting their children
to the bottomless pit — is most horrible!!

"Who of you by worrying, can add a single cubit to his height?"
Matthew 6:27

So it is useless to worry! A short person cannot, by any amount of
anxiety, make himself an inch taller. Why, therefore, should he waste his
energy and fret his life away — in wishing he were taller?

One worries because he is too short — another because he is too tall;
one worries because he too lean — another because he is too heavy;
one worries because he has a lame foot — another because he has a mole on
his face.
No amount of fretting will change any of these things!

People worry, too, over their circumstances. They are poor, and have
to work hard. They have troubles, losses, and disappointments which come
through causes entirely beyond their own control. They find difficulties in
their environment which they cannot surmount. There are hard conditions in
their lot which they cannot change.

Now why should they worry about these things? Will
worrying make matters any better? Will discontent . . .
cure the blind eye, or
remove the ugly mole, or
give health to the infirm body?

Will chafing make . . .
the hard work, lighter;
or the burdens, easier;
or the troubles, fewer?

Will anxiety . . .
keep the winter away, or
keep the storm from rising, or
put coal in the cellar, or
put bread in the pantry, or
get clothes for the children?

Even human reason showsthe uselessness of worrying, since it
helps nothing, and only wastes one's strength and unfits one for doing one's
best!

The Christian gospel goes farther, and says that even the hard things and
the obstacles, are blessings — if we meet them in the right spirit.
They are stepping-stones lifting our feet upward — disciplinary experiences
in which we grow.

So we learn that we should quietly, and with faith in God's Providence,
accept life as it comes to us — fretting at nothing, yet changing hard
conditions to easier ones if we can. And if we cannot — then we must use
them as means for growth and advancement.

"If anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his
cross and follow Me." Matthew 16:24
All the children of God have a cross to carry. They have
trials, troubles, and afflictions to go through for the Gospel's sake. They
have . . .
trials from the world,
trials from the flesh,
trials from the devil.

They have trials from relations and friends — hard words, hard conduct, and
hard judgment.

They have trials in the matter of character — slander, misrepresentation,
mockery, suggestion of false motives — all these often rain thick upon them.

They have trials from their own hearts.

They have each generally their own thorn in the flesh, which is their
worst foe.

This is the experience of the children of God. Some of them suffer more —
and some less. Some of them suffer in one way — and some in another. God
measures out their portions like a wise physician, and cannot err.
But never, I believe, was there one child of God, who reached Heaven without
a cross!

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ. To Him be glory both now and forever! Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

Growth
in grace is evidenced by a more habitual
vigilance against besetting sins and temptations, and by greater
self-denial in regard to personal indulgence. A growing
conscientiousness in regard to what may be called minor Christian duties
is also a good sign. (The counterfeit of this is an
over-scrupulous conscience, which sometimes haggles at the most innocent
gratifications, and has led some to hesitate about taking their daily food.)

Increasing spiritual-mindedness is a sure evidence of progress in
piety; and this will always be accompanied by increasing deadness to the
world.

Continued aspirations for God, indicate the indwelling of the Holy
Spirit, by whose agency all progress in sanctification is made.

Increasing solicitude for the salvation of men, sorrow on account of
their sinful and miserable condition, and a disposition tenderly to warn
sinners of their danger — evince a growing state of piety.

It is also a strong evidence of growth in grace, when you can bear
injuries and provocations with meekness, and when you can from the heart
desire the temporal and eternal welfare of your bitterest enemies.

An entire and confident reliance on the promises and providence of God,
however dark may be your horizon, or however many difficulties environ you —
is a sign that you have learned to live by faith.
Humble contentment with your condition, though it is one of poverty and
obscurity — shows that you have profited by sitting at the feet of Jesus.

Diligence in the duties of our secular calling, with a view to the
glory of God, is an evidence not to be despised.

Indeed, there is no surer standard of spiritual growth than a habit of
aiming at the glory of God in everything.

Increasing love to the brethren is a sure sign of growth; for as
brotherly love is a proof of the existence of grace, so is the exercise of
such love a proof of vigor in the divine life.

A victory over besetting sins by which the person was frequently led
away — shows an increased vigor in grace.

Sometimes the children of God grow faster when in the fiery furnace
than elsewhere. As metals are purified by being cast into the fire —
so saints have their dross consumed and their graces brightened — by
being cast into the furnace of affliction.